Various seats that can be rotated and/or moved longitudinally are known in the art. Examples of such seats are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,895, U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,283, U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,065, U.S. Pat. No. 5,853,221 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,811.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle seat assembly includes a seat, a pedestal, a swivel mechanism connected to the pedestal for permitting the seat to rotate about a vertical axis and a latch located external to the swivel mechanism for preventing rotation of the seat. The seat assembly may further include a bracket for mounting the seat to the swivel mechanism in any one of a plurality of positions. In one embodiment of the invention, the latch engages a portion of the swivel mechanism. The latch may rotate with the seat. In another embodiment of the invention, the seat assembly further includes a handle for operating the latch. The handle may rotate with the seat.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the swivel mechanism includes a bearing located adjacent the pedestal, a first collar located on the bearing and a second collar positioned over the bearing and at least a portion of the first collar. In one embodiment, the bracket mounts the seat to the first collar. In another embodiment, the second collar includes a plurality of notches for receiving a portion of the latch. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the swivel mechanism further includes a plate positioned adjacent the second collar and a portion of the latch is received between the second collar and the plate.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle seat assembly includes a track, a seat having a seating portion and a seat back and a base connected to the seat. The base engages the track so as to permit longitudinal movement of the seat along the track. The seat assembly further includes a locking mechanism for retaining the seat in a desired position along the track. The locking mechanism includes a vertically extending pin located beneath the center of the seating portion of the seat. The pin may engage a portion of the track. The vehicle seat assembly may further include a swivel mechanism connected to the base for permitting the seat to rotate about a vertical axis.